Families make art for Mother’s Day at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

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About 15 years ago, Kim Lanciano took her mom to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens for Mother’s Day. This year, she brought her own children to the facility to make art. Her 4-year-old daughter Josie made a bandana that she’ll give to her mother.

Every month, the gardens, at 1020 South St., hosts PECO Family Jams, a free hands-on event for visitors to make art.

Jennifer Remsa, of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, and her husband John met while students at the University of the Arts and also visited the gardens, but they came on Mother’s Day to bring their children Gavin, 9, and Wynne, 6. “I always thought this place was pretty cool,” said John.

Wenyue Lu, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, brought her two sons Brian, 5, and Jessie, 8, as well as a friend’s daughter, Andrea, 7. As the children made their art, Lu said, “They’re enjoying themselves, and so am I.”

Sarah Caruolo, of Essex, New Jersey, brought her daughters Olivia, 8, and Emily, 5, to the gardens “because it’s Mother’s Day, it’s my father-in-law’s birthday, it’s my birthday.”

Olivia said she made a bandana for her grandmother’s dog. “She’ll probably hate it,” she said.

Children were given pieces of art that they stamped with ink and pressed onto triangle-shaped pieces of cloth. Some parents also made art with their children.

“Typically, our child visitors are participating in the craft making,” said Silke Tudor, assistant manager of education at Magic Gardens, but because it’s Mother’s Day, she added it was likely the art would have a maternal theme.

This is the first Mother’s Day since the passing of the gardens’ co-founder. Having been described as an “art environment,” it was started by Isaiah Zager. Almost every inch of the 7,000 square feet of space on South Street is covered by art, mostly mosaics. More than 200 pieces depict Julia Zager done by Isaiah, ranging from a few inches to several feet tall.

Isaiah Zager was born in Brooklyn in 1939, and his wife was born in New York City in 1940. Three months after they met, they married in 1963.

The couple joined the Peace Corps and visited Peru, where they were inspired by native folk art, which became a theme for their art and the art of others who were displayed in their galleries.

In 1968, they moved to South Street, setting up a gallery in the 400 block.

There were plans for a cross-town expressway that would have leveled blocks of streets. Established merchants moved out, and the empty shops were taken over by artistic types, lured in by cheap rents. This was the start of the South Street Renaissance, Philadelphia’s version of New York’s Greenwich Village.

Quoting Isaiah Zagar, Tudor said, “Art is the center of the real world,” and added, “Isaiah and Julia Zagar’s art comes before almost everything else. Their family shows up constantly in their artwork, too. Isaiah would often commission people to do pieces where Julia is the center of the family. She’s standing there and she’s holding the kids and she’s holding him, she’s holding the business in her arms and is the center of that. And he was very open about her being the core of the family and holding everybody together.”

Isaiah Zagar died this year on Feb. 19, at the age of 86. A memorial service was attended by artists from around the world.

“Everybody that came for Isaiah’s memorial worked with either one of them, they all said they were their No. 1 champion, they were family,” Tudor said.

“The scale of Isaiah Zagar’s body of work and his relentless art making at all costs is truly astounding,” said Emily Smith, executive director of the gardens. “Most people do not understand the importance of what he created, nor do they understand the sheer volume of what he has made. It is unique and wholly unique to Philadelphia.”

Julia Zager, 86, is still a practicing artist and operates a studio in the 300 block of South Street.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify Julia Zagar’s role and the frequency of Family Jam events at the site.<